The exploitation of enslaved labor was central to the capitalist model from "summary" of Capitalism & Slavery by Eric Eustace Williams
The foundation of the capitalist system rests upon the exploitation of enslaved labor. This was not a mere coincidence, but rather a deliberate choice made by those who sought to maximize profits at any cost. The rise of capitalism in the Western world was intimately tied to the brutal enslavement of millions of African people. The transatlantic slave trade provided the cheap labor necessary to fuel the burgeoning capitalist economies of Europe and the Americas. Plantation owners in the colonies amassed vast fortunes through the forced labor of enslaved Africans. These enslaved individuals were treated as mere commodities, bought and sold like any other goods. Their lives were expendable, their bodies worked to the point of exhaustion in order to extract the maximum amount of profit for their owners. The capitalist model thrived on this system of exploitation, with the wealth generated from enslaved labor flowing back to enrich...
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